Saturday, November 30, 2013

I think it has been probably over twenty-five years since she first gave it to us as a family Christmas present. My husband's two sister's families received one as well. The gifts I am referring to were the hand-painted ceramic nativities that Gracie made for all of us that year. Gracie was my husband's sweet mother. Ever since she presented to us, it became a Christmas tradition that it was always the first decoration that went in it's place. When my boys were just little guys, they always helped unwrap and place the individual figurines carefully in the wooden manger. Once the nativity was all set up, it was on to decking the halls and trimming the tree.

I was totally in awe of the beautiful work and the many hours that Gracie put into making these nativities for her three children. The fine detail of the faces was far better than anything I could have done...and I prided myself as a pretty good artsy-crafty kinda girl! The set included all the regulars—right down to a couple of shepherds and their sheep...

...the shepherd boy...and a cow....

...the ever important donkey...

...the Three Wise Men...

(although we know they weren't actually there when Baby Jesus was a tiny infant)

...and their three camels...

...oh, and the angel hovering above...we can't forget the angel!

I raved and raved to Gracie about what a wonderful job she did on this. It never failed, she would pretty much blow off my compliment by saying something like "Oh, Debby, you could have done much better" or "Don't look too closely at it!" As hard as I tried to compliment her on her beautiful handy-work, she just couldn't accept my praise. Year after year whenever I would get it out and comment on it to her, it started to become more about her rejecting my compliment rather than me giving her one...so one day, I stopped.

Is it hard for you to accept a compliment? I have to admit that sometimes it is for me too. At times, I am guilty of saying things like Gracie did. I don't ever want to seem conceited and often I really don't know how to react to a certain compliment given to me. Sometimes, I think we get it confused with flattery. But how are we making the person giving the compliment feel when we don't accept it graciously? Not only are we rejecting their kindness, but we could also be making them feel just as uncomfortable by not receiving it with grace. I am learning that I am actually robbing the person giving the praise of a blessing. Accepting a compliment is not a sin...it is a form of encouragement.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Gracie has been with Jesus since 2001. She suffered from Alzheimer's the last few years of her life and when it finally robbed her completely of her spirited, witty personality along with the twinkle that was always in her eye, a fall resulting in a broken hip was all it took to take her out of this world and into the next. In a couple of short months she was gone.

I'm starting my Christmas decorating today and have been thinking a lot about Gracie as I was putting out the nativity. It's all carefully arranged, although I'm pretty sure that every year it's probably just a little different from the year before. One thing that remains constant, of course, is Jesus...He never changes. He wants us to praise Him and give Him compliments of all kinds.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The other morning while getting ready for work, it dawned on me. I realized as I was getting dressed, that I was basically being held together by safety pins! The slacks that I had decided to wear had a missing button and the last time I had worn them, I pinned the waistband in a hurry instead of sewing on the button. I had to find it first, right? Hastily, I had washed them, put them away in my closet and found them just the way I had left them, safety pin and all. Also, the sleeveless top I had picked out to wear underneath my sweater had safety pins attached on each shoulder. Now, there is a very good reason for this. The top has a tendency to fall down too low in the front and well, I don't like showing cleavage...so...I pin it to my bra, OK? There you have it. True confession time. So basically, I guess you could say that I was depending on those safety pins to hold it all together—a quick fix, so to speak. This situation got me to thinking just how often I do things in haste instead of doing them the right way. To say the least, I'd be totally embarrassed and humiliated if I was in an accident or suddenly gotten ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. On any given day, they may have to use the Jaws of Life to cut through all of that metal to get my clothes off!

Seriously, I realized that neglecting to do something as simple as sewing on a button or running a seam or two was also a sign of laziness. Laziness? Or maybe it's a lack of character on my part—just getting by—just making do. Do any of you ever have those times when you are just doing enough to get by? The holy spirit has been convicting me of this lately and He used a few safety pins to speak to me. Safety pins. If I'm not careful, this type of attitude can get out of hand seep into bigger, more important areas of my life. I have to admit that sometimes it does.

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 10:4

I feel like there is an another aspect to the issue and that would be the fact that I was keeping something hidden. You see, I would never wear those safety pins on the outside. Of course not! But as long as I can keep anyone from seeing them, I'm good. Can I get a witness? Hidden things many times are equal to not-so-good things, right? Now don't get me wrong...we all need to use a temporary fix at times. Those little safety pins sure come in handy when we need them and I am only using them as an example.

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed,

and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

Mark 4:22

Sometimes God chooses to use the most unusual things to speak to us, doesn't He?Is God using something unusual to speak to you?I would love to hear about it :)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.

HELLO, FRIENDS!

About Me

I am a transplanted southern girl, raised in Ohio, now living in Central NC. I am the baby out of eight children and being a part of a large, crazy family has been the biggest blessing of my life. I have been married to Jim for 40 years and we have two adult sons, three grandsons, one grand daughter. And last but not least, we have two ornery doxies, Oscar and recently adopted Tasha. I love the Lord Jesus and do my best to live for Him, although at times, I fail miserably...His grace amazes me. I love capturing the beauty of the Creator through the lens of my camera and I pray that my humble little blog is an encouragement to all who visit!
Blessings, Debby